Film editing and viewing and guiding device



Sept 26, 1939- G. NE'MNICH 2,174,194

FILM EDITING AND VIEWING AND GUIDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /8 INVENTOR Sept. 26, 1939. Q NEMMCH 2,114,194

FILI EDITING AND VIEWING AND GUIDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 27, 1937' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVI Gustav Nemnlch, New York, N. Y., assignor to Kin-o-Lux, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corpora.-

tion of New York Application December 27, 1937, Serial No. 181,793

ZCialms.

This invention relates to film editing and viewing machines and like apparatuses.

'The motion picture film industry has expanded considerably in the past years so that various sizes of motion picture lms have appeared on the market and in the past film editing machines have been made for each size of film strip, therefore requiring film studios of all kinds to purchase editing machines for each size of film used.

-'I'hereiore the main object of my invention is the production of auniversal editing machine capable of viewing film strips of different sizes, and a further object of the invention is to render the universal machine capable of viewing the selected film size by a simple manipulation.

Another object is the production of such a machine which is simple in construction and operation, in order that the machine will find a ready sale not only in the industrial studios but in the amateur motion picture film market.

Due to the universality of my machine, 'the simplicity of operation and construction, makes for quantity production thus bringing down the sales price of the machine to both the industrial studios and .the rapidlyv expanding amateur motion picture -iilm market.

It will be noted that the principle of operation and construction of the invention will render the machine capable of handling film rolls or strips of the still cameras.

It will be further noted that part of the construction is capable of being used in place of the present fixed size film gate of motion picture cameras and projection machines, thereby making such machines capable of handling various film sizes by minor manipulations.

Other objects of the invention not especially mentioned may be readily ascertained and understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings.v

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is side view of the invention and associated parts.

Fig. 2 is Ia cross section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the device looking in the same direction as Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional .view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3 showing a iilm strip in position.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 'I is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but showing parts in position for lguiding a narrower film strip.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 6 8 of Fig. 3, showing clearly the mask plates.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 9 6 of Fig. 8 showing the pin and slot connection between the mask plates.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of the film guide showing the use of same in a motion picture camera or projector.

Referring to Figures l and 2, a base 2 serves to support a film editing device comprising a housing 4, film strip guiding unit 6 and film picture magnifying unit or housing 8. The housing 4 encloses an electric light bulb IU and a switch I2 therefore, with, of course, the usual current source and wires some of which are not shown. The top I4 of said housing 4, is inclined as shown in Fig. l, so that it iseasier for the editor to view the film by bending over from the left of base 2. The top I4 serves as a support for film guiding unit 6 and has an aperture I6 over which the films are guided. The unit 6 shown in all figures, comprises sidewalls I8 mounted upon support I4, in which are slidably guided mask plates 20 having enlarged inner guide portions 22. These portions 22 are grooved at 24 -to guide a film strip 26 and the grooves are iiared at 28, Figure 3, in order to more smoothly guide the film into and out of the film guiding unit 6, and also to facilitate film end insertion.

As will be noted from Figures 4 and 5 the grooves 24 are of a depth sufficient to engage only the portion of the film strip 26 beyond perforations 28 thus leaving the film pictures 30 and sound track 32 exposed to the light radiating from aperture I6. The magnifying unit or housing 8, Figures 1, 3, and 4, comprises a conical sleeve 34 secured to side walls I6 and a magnifying lens 36 which is,` of course, focused upon the film strip 26, overlying the aperture I6. The film editor will therefore be able to view the film pictures and the film strip as it is moved directly by hand or indirectly by reels cranked by hand as will be described hereinafter.

The aperture I6 is of a. size suflicient to frame one picture 36 at a time of the 35 millimeter film 26, which is shown in position in Figures 2, 4, and 5. The editor will therefore view only one picture at a time and mark it accordingly after it leaves the guiding uniti. The glass envelope of the bulb I0 is ground, of course, in order to properly diffuse the light rays. As the main object of the device is its ability to accommodate iilm strips of dilerent millimeter widths. this construction will now be described.

The enlarged portion 22, Figures 2, 3, 6, and 7, areelongated suilicientlyjto bring their endsbe- 5 yond the scope oi the aperture I6, at which point one of each of their ends is threaded upon a left and right hand screw spindle 38 which inturn is rotatably mounted in side wallsl I8 and held/ against longitudinal ,displacement by shouldered 10 bearings 40. One end of said spindle 38 is extended beyond its wall I8 and terminates in a finger knob 42 by means' of which the portions 22 and their integral mask plates 20 may be moved to and from each other by turning the knob 42 one way or the` other. To prevent the ma-sk" plates from binding in their slots in walls I8 fa guide rod 44, secured in walls I8 is embraced by guide sleeves 46 rigidly secured in the other ends oi.' portions 22, as shown in Fig- 20 ures 3, 6, and 7.

Fig. 'l illustrates the position of mask plates 20 andtheir portions 22 for editing and guiding the narrowest of iilm strips 48, which is 8 millimetersv wide.

In order that thc manual positioningy oi the film guiding portions 22 may be accomplished without relying upon 'skill and sense of" touch a pointer 50, Figures 5, 6, and 7, upon one of the portions 22 cooperates with a scale '52 upon top 80 I4 ci housing t. The scale irl the present instance carries caiibrations for iilm sizes 8, 16 and A mm., but it is understood that the machine and the scale can be varied to suit new sizes as they appear on the market without departing from the l5 scope of the invention, it is characteristic of screw threading that the parts moved by the screw spindle 3d will remain in the position to which they have been'rooved. This is especially true of fine threads having aA single leed.. @ther 40 well known means may be used to positively lock.

the spindle 38 in position..

Film strips of 8 millimeter width carry pertorations 54 near one edge only thus bringing the individual pictures 56 up to the other edge.

es Therefore, this edge riding in its portion 22 will have a portion of each picture obscured by an amount equall to the depth of the groove 24 were it not for the fact that a beveled cut out 58, Fig- 'lires 4,5, 6, 7, and 8, of groove depth and of picture height permits the exposure-of theentire picture to the light from aperture I6. The proportion of the aperture I6 and associated .portions 22 will permit the viewing of only one picture o the large size filmstrip 26 'and as the bringing together oiportions 22 and mask plates 26 will properly reduce the light aperture in one alimen sion for the smaller sizes of film strips a pair of. additional mask plates 60, Figures 3, 6, 7, 8, ands, are provided to properly limit the light aperture d0 in theother dimension.

Referring to the iigures above mentioned these plates 60 are guided between side walls i8, and carry cam slots 62 into which project pins'i carried fthe ends of guide portions 22. "ille 65 slots 62 are cut so that their extended imaginary construction iines would form a diamond, "thereEn fore a moving togeth cause a like moving t c slightly varied in one way or the other for one or more of the film sizes and, not other sims. properly designed ycurved slots would aocomm0- date such variation.

Although the above description covers the application of my invention to nlm editing machines it is understood that the variable film guide unit 8 may be 'usedas a unit to take the-place o! the vordinary` film gate in motion picture cameras and projection machines thus rendering these machines capable of running diierent width illms as well.-l This is 'diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 10. y

Referring now to theparts associated with the l film editing device, these comprise standards 6| u secured fore and aft of the editing device 4. Each standard supports a spindle 68, the fore spindle of which detachably carries a take oil.' reel 1l and the aft spindle of which carries a take on reel 12. The film 26 enters the illm guide 6 atits lowest point and leaves at yits highest and extends to reel 12.

Each spindle 68 is driven by hand crank 14 through gear box 'I6 which has a ratio ofapproximately four revolutions of the reel to one z5 of the crank. The film may be fled through the iilm guide 6 by means of the crank of the reel 12, picture by picture or the film may lbe pulled through by hand, picture by picture, and the crank 14 used only to take upthe slack created I0 aft of the editing. When. the film is being advanced by operating crank 14 oi reel 12 the index nge'r of the left hand of the editor bears against the iilm 26 at the bend 18, Fig. 1, in order to provide a proper brake and retard the nlm as it moves through guiding part 6, therebrenabllng the operator to control the film speed. A motor drive may be provided in place offthe hand drive when desired.-' A

The film yspeed may also be controlledl bybringing the portions 22 togetheruntil the bottom ot the grooves 24 bear against the vedge of the nlm.

The amount of pressure against the nim edgcan be controlled to a nlcety by proper manipulation of the knob 24 thereby bringing about the desired u Viihn speed; Manual braking will be then'unnecessary. f I

The illm may .be retracted by pulling down at the bend 16 just infront of the editing device.

Although the description has been confined vto jg motion picture films of many Siles it willbe noted 'that` the invention is-adaptable in principle and construction to handle roll 'iilms of various widths and requiring only' echange in the proportion of parts. t

'it 'may be desired in some cases to view more than one film picture at a time in which. case the proportion of some parts would be changed. The aperture I8 would be enlarged,` the walls I8 and portions 22 and masks 20, elongated to the desired range, and the sleeve 34 and lens 8l en'. larged.' The additional mask plates 6I) would be, of course, omitted.

Having described my invention and its method of operation, what claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

a film guiding device of the character delle fing a support, a pair of mask plates d support and having` guide f A film strip, a second f carried by said supaperture with said iirst mentioned carried by said iirst mentioned mask plates, cam slots engaged by said pins carried by said second mentioned pair of mask plates so that a moving together or apart jof one of said pairs of mask plates causes a like movement on the part of said other pair of mask plates, and means for changing at willthe position of said rst mentioned mask plates in order to accommodate diierent width nlm strips in said guide portions.

2. In a iilm strip guiding device of the character described havingl a support, a pair of mask plates movably carried on said support and having guide portions adapted to guide a lm strip, a rotatable, hand-operated feed screw positively threaded into one end of said mask plates so thatv said plates may be moved to and from each other in order to accommodate dierent width lm strips, another pair of mask plates movably mounted on said support and forming a variable aperture with said first mentioned mask plates, pins carried by said first mentioned mask plates, cam slots formed in said second mentioned mask plates and engaged by said pins in order that a moving together or apart of said rst mentioned mask plates causes a like movement on the part of said second mentioned mask plates thereby to vary the aperture, a guide rod xedly carried by said support for guiding the other end of said rst mentioned mask plates, and relatively movable pointer and scale elements carried by one of said first mentioned mask plates and the said support for indicating the position ot said mask plates.

GUS'I'AV NEMNICH. 

